Method of making transformer tanks



Feb. 2,1926. 1,571,300

' E. G. REED METHOD OF MAKING TRANSFORMER TANKS Filed D60. 50, 1920 INVENTOR WITNESSES:

. d'l E /censor! 6. Reed.

Patented Feb. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMERSON G. REED, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE- ELECTRIC &; MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF MAKING TRANSFORMER TANKS.

Application filed December 30, 1920. Serial No. 434,008.

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Making Transformer Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heat-dissipating devices and it has particular relation to apparatus of the above designated character that is adapted for containing electrical or other apparatus which is normally immersed within a cooling fluid. More specifically, my invention relates to the construction of a tank or container for such apparatus and for the cooling fluid in which it is immersed.

One object of my invention is to provide a containing tank of novel construction that shall have a relatively large radiating area, as compared with the quantity of cooling fluid contained therein.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel and desirable method of manufacturing such tanks.

A. further object of my invention is to provide a tank that shall be light in weight, simple and inexpensive in manufacture, and of such construction as to withstand great stresses without suffering deformation.

Heretofore, it has been customary to construct tanks from a plurality of units disposed in side-by-side relation, each unit being constructed by bending a piece of sheet metal into substantially U-shape and allowing the central back portion thereof to remain substantially straight. The edges of the U-shape members are welded to the next adjacent units, and the top and bottom of the central straight portion are Welded to the top and bottom members, respectively, of the tank. Thus, the central portion of the U-shape member constitutes a portion of the periphery of the tank proper, and each of the legs of the U-shape member are united with a similar leg of an adjacently disposed U-shape member to constitute one of the radiating portions. v

According to my invention, each of the projections of the tank is composed of a single sheet of metal so drawn as to have the central portion thereof bent outwardly to form a radiating portion. The top, bottom and side portions remain in substantially the original plane, to be welded to the top and bottom members of the tank and to the next ad acent units, respectively, to constitute the main body portion of the tank.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings, is a plan view of a tank constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken along the line IIII thereof.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the units which are united together in side-byside relation to constitute the side walls of the tank.

In the drawings, it show a tank comprising a top member 4, joined to a bottom member 5 by means of side walls 6. The side walls 6 comprise a plurality of vertically disposed units 7 one of which is shown in Fig. 3. Each of the units 7 consists of a flanged portion 8 extending around the entire outer periphery thereof and a depressed main body portion 9 which is formed by a single drawing operation. Thus, the flange 8 remains in the original plane of the sheetmetal plate from which the entire unit is pressed. The depressed portion 9, while providing a s ace for cooling fluid, also serves as a rein orcing member for the flange 8. The edges 11 of the side portions 10 of the flange 8 are bent at right angles to the flange. Each of these edges is united to a similar edge of the next adjacent unit 7, by welding. A. top portion 12 and a bottom portion 13 of the flange 8 are welded to the top member 4 and the bottom member 5, respectively.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the flange 8 may have any curvature to conform to the main body portion of the tank. Also, it is apparent that, by having the entire outer edge consist of a single flange in a single plane and having the central portion thereof depressed out of that plane to form a reinforcing member, l have produced a unit materially stronger than that common in the prior art.

Hcretofore, the central portion of the unit was held in substantially the original plane, and the side portions thereof were bent outwardly to form one-half of a fluid containing radiator chamber. Furthermore, it will be noted that the union between adjacent units, according to my invention, is made on the inside of the tank. By means of this construction, the joint is protected from outside blows.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of making heat-radiating casings which consists of drawin the central ortion of a shelet-nietal lfilallli to farm a ct lacin a ura ity o t emem ers th fornl d in gide by-side relation to form a closed figure with the central ortion projecting outwardly and then welding ad acent edges of said members. D

2. The method of making heat-radiating casings which consists of drawing the central portion of a sheet-metal blank to form a pocket projecting from the plane of the blank, placing the members in side-by-side relation with their recessed sides toward the interior of the casing, and then welding adjacent longitudinal edges of said members.

3. The method of making heat-radiating casings which consists of drawing the central portion of a relatively long narrow sheet-metal blank to form a pocket the outermost portion of which is in aplane parallel to the plane of the edges thereof and spaced therefrom, the end edge portions of the members thus formed remaining substantially in the plane of the blank, placing the members in side-by-side relation with the end edges in alinement and then welding adjacent edges of said members.

4. The method of making heat-radiating casings which consists of drawing the central portion of a relatively long, narrow sheet-metal blank to form a longitudinally extending pocket projecting from the plane of the side portions of said blank and bending the edges of said side portions to form flanges, placing the units thus formed in position to form a closed figure with their respective recessed sides toward the interior of the casing and then welding adjacent flanges of said units.

5. The method of making heat-radiating casings which consists of drawing the cenflanges,

tral portion of a relatively long, narrow sheet-metal blank to form a hollow projection and bending the longitudinally-extending edges of said side portions to form flanges, the end edge portions remaining substantially in the plane of the blank, placing a pluralityof the units thus formed in sideby-side relation with their end edges in alinement, welding adjacent flanges of said units and then fastening top and bottom members to said end edge portions.

6. The method of making heat-radiating casings which consists of drawing the central portion of a relatively long, narrow sheet-metal blank, to form a pocket having an outer portion in a plane parallel to the lane of the side portions of said blank and ending the longitudinally-extending edges of said side portions in a direction opposite to that of said drawn portions to form the end edge portions remaining substantially in the plane of the blank, placing a plurality of the units thus formed in side-by-side relation with their drawn portions projecting outwardly, welding adacent flanges of said units and then welding top and bottom members to the corresponding edge portions of said units.

7. The method of making heat-radiating casings which consists of drawing the central portion of a relatively long, narrow sheet-metal blank out of the plane of the side portions of said blank and bending the longitudinally-extending edges of said side portions to form flanges, placing the units thus formed in side-by-side relation with their recessed sides toward the interior of the casing and then welding together the flanges of adjacent units to form a closed.

figure.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day of December, 1920.

EMERSON G. REED. 

